No Harm in Looking
by BlacKat-GrenEys
Summary: Zoro and Sanji have decided to adopt a dog as the next step in their relationship, but that doesn't go quit as planned. ZoSan secret valentine gift fic for otakusodealwithit!


**This is for turtlefriedrice's ZoSan Valentine Exchange on tumblr. My valentine is otakusodealwithit (tumblr url). She said she liked fluff and gave me complete artistic freedom, so I hope she likes it!**

**A HUGE THANK YOU to the3vilnom (tumblr url) for betaing! She went beyond what I hoped for! Some of the sentences that you will see in this story are written by her, or influenced from her ideas. Another HUGE THANK YOU to turtlefriedrice for doing this exchange! If she hadn't I probably wouldn't be posting any of the work I'm doing.**

**This is the first fanfic I'm posting, so please tell me how you like it. I like constructive criticism, but please no flaming. I will ignore all flaming.  
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**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, but I wish I did. *sigh***

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><p>"Maybe we should come back another day." Sanji said as they passed an old black lab for the second time. They had been walking through the shelter, looking at the different dogs, trying to see if they liked any of them. They were incredibly unsuccessful in their endeavor.<p>

Sanji finally decided to let Zoro lead in this quest, since it seemed that he always ended up exactly where he needed to be, no matter how lost he got beforehand.

The green haired man looked over his shoulder at his lover, trying to determine if Sanji was in any way giving up their search. Zoro wasn't going to allow that and since Sanji was letting him lead he was determined to keep walking. "Let's walk around a bit more, Cook. Maybe we haven't seen them all yet." He turned his attention back to the hallway they had entered, leaving the kennel room behind them.

"We have, Marimo." Sanji's frustration began to rise as they moved along an empty corridor toward another door at the end of the hall. Without his smokes, Sanji felt his irritation boiling quickly. "We've seen all the dogs they have, and we have either liked none of them or they didn't like us." It was unnerving to see a dog both men liked, but refused to move out of the corner it was trying to hide in. "They're probably all scared of your ugly scarred mug, Marimo."

Zoro grunted in reply as he pushed open the door to the room in front of which they found themselves situated. This room wasn't like any of the others that they had been in that day. Instead of floor to ceiling kennels where the dogs had room to move around in, there were cages stacked on top of one another around the walls holding an assortment of cats.

"Marimo," Sanji paused and pulled at his boyfriends arm to stop him from going further into the room. "We decided on a dog, shit head."

Zoro looked around him taking in the various colored felines in their small metal boxes. "We'll just look, Cook." He shrugged as he pulled his hoodie and arm free from Sanji's grasp. "No harm in looking."

Sanji relented and followed Zoro a little further in. No, there is no harm in looking, but Sanji thought they both wanted a dog. They had talked about it and decided a dog would be great for them.

To Sanji, this was a big step in his and Zoro's relationship. The first step, after starting their relationship was, of course, well... sex. Sanji had never had sex with a man before and he can admit, only to Zoro and a few others, that he was scared. The second big step was telling Zoro that he loved him. That had been incredibly hard for the blond. It broke a bit of his manly pride, but he figured since Zoro told him he loved him a couple times a week it couldn't hurt him that much. The third was asking Zoro to officially move in with him. They had practically been living with each other for a year anyway. Now was the fourth; adopting a pet together.

Some of Sanji and Zoro's friends had asked how this was a big step. Pets weren't that big of a deal, but the couple didn't want to explain. They didn't want to let the others know how sappy they could be when they were alone.

They had been living together for a little over a year when their third year anniversary came around. They ate a simple pleasant dinner, and during the stupid kung fu movie they decided to watch Zoro asked Sanji how he saw them in the future.

Honestly, Sanji was floored. He had been surprised at the sudden question and wasn't sure what to say for a response. Before he met Zoro, he had always envisioned himself in a nice home, with a beautiful wife, and two little brats to call his own. After Zoro, that image changed. There was still the nice house, but instead of a wife it was the shitty swordsman and instead of two kids he saw a couple of dogs.

Sanji threw caution to the wind and told Zoro, stumbling with his words along the way, both of the dreams he had. He watched Zoro's expression shift from annoyance at Sanji's love for women to adoration at Sanji's change of view. Zoro knew it took a lot to change anything about the blond, so hearing this big change about his future told Zoro just how much he meant to the Cook, but it also told him how much influence he had over his lover. Zoro then decided to tell Sanji his dream. There was a nice house in Zoro's too, there was the love cook, but instead of pets there was a kid. They didn't have green or blond hair, nor green or blue eyes, but they were still their brat to call their own.

Sanji's vision changed to the same in that instant, he watched Zoro's face light up after Sanji informed him of this. But Sanji also confessed he wasn't ready for it yet. Zoro deflated a bit but nodded, understanding the others worries. After seeming to think for a moment Zoro brightened up and proposed getting an animal. He suggested they get one of the dogs Sanji had in his vision, and raise it like their own kid, in a kind of preparation. Sanji smiled at the delight in Zoro's voice, he couldn't say no.

It took a while to decide where they were going to get this dog. Sanji immediately eliminated any kinds of purebreds that came from a breeder. He didn't want a dumb dog whose father was also its grandfather. Eventually they decided to go to one of the shelters in town and pick from them. However, every shelter they'd visited had proven to be unsuccessful in finding, not only a dog they like, but one that liked them back. Sanji was convinced it was because of the Marimo. No dog would want a dad that's missing one eye and has a perpetual scowl on his face.

"Hey, shit cook." Zoro called to Sanji from across the room, where he was standing in front of an open cage at just eye level, with his hand inside, petting whatever kind of cat resided within it.

_Great_, Sanji thought, _he found a cat he likes._ "I thought we agreed on a dog, shitty swordsman." Sanji barked as he strode from the door to where Zoro was standing.

He wasn't sure what to expect when he saw the feline inside, but it certainly wasn't what was in the cage.

It was a kitten so small that it easily fit in both of Zoro's hands as he picked it up from inside the cage and cradled it to his chest. It snuggled into the soft black fabric of Zoro's hoodie, burying its face in the crook of Zoro's elbow, as the moss head gazed at Sanji with a look that said this was the one he wanted to get. The little thing had long, puffy white hair, silky to the touch. Its tail and ears colored a bright orange, standing out against the white. A bandage was wrapped snugly around its tiny head covering up its left eye. The visible eye a bright sky blue that was directed up at Zoro with love and wonder pouring from it. It was purring so loudly Sanji hoped that something wasn't wrong with it. The kitten looked over at Sanji with curiosity as he stepped up beside his lover to get a closer look at the little baby in his arms. Somehow the sounds of its purring escalated as it reached out one of its paws in Sanji's direction. Sanji sighed in defeat as he reached for the small kitten.

"Well, so much for that dog." Sanji muttered under his breath as he stroked the kitten's neck. "What happened to its eye?"

Zoro rested the kitten into the crook of his elbow, cradling it as if he were holding a baby, using his free hand he pulled a piece of paper off the front of the cage and read it aloud to Sanji. "'This little boy has lived a hard life. He was born the runt of a rather large litter, causing the mother to abandon him. In the staff's hopes that another nursing mother might take him, he was attacked and his left eye was ruined. Our veterinarians were forced to remove it. Even through all this he has remained one of the sweetest kittens we have.'" Zoro placed the paper back where he took it from and added, "It also says he is three months old, neutered, and that they named him Lucky."

"Hmph. Don't like the name. We will have to change it before he goes home with us." Sanji exclaimed as he tickled the kitten under his chin, causing the little one to close his eye.

"Thought you wanted a dog, Cook." Zoro gazed into his boyfriend's visible eye and smirked, knowing he just won something.

"Guess I changed my mind." Sanji smirked back as he continued to scratch the kitten before turning around to head back out of the cat room. "I'll go find someone to start the paper work."

"Hold up Cook." Zoro called just as Sanji reached the door and was opening it. Sanji turned his head giving Zoro his attention. "Write his name down as N-H-I-L."

Sanji's face pinched as if he had just eaten something sour. "What the hell shit head? That sucks."

"It stands for No-Harm-In-Looking." Zoro's rare smile broke his usual scowl as the kitten's purr became the only noise in the room worth listening to.

"Hmph." Sanji's eyes lit up with mirth as his smile spread across his face. "I take it back. That's a good name." With that, Sanji walked out the door to find a person to talk to about adoption papers.

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><p>It was two months after they adopted Nhil that Sanji had reached his breaking point. From the moment Nhil arrived in their apartment he was attached to Zoro. He napped on top of Zoro when the moss head napped. He only ate the food Zoro put in his bowl, even if it was grilled fish Sanji made especially for the kitten. When Sanji and Zoro snuggled on the couch enjoying a movie, Nhil only sat on Zoro's lap. When they slept in their bed at night, Nhil only slept on Zoro's side.<p>

It wasn't that Nhil didn't like Sanji; he still let the cook pet him and hold him. He still purred around Sanji, just not when Zoro was home.

It had only bothered Sanji a little at first, thinking that the kitten bonded more with Zoro during the time it took Sanji to fill out the adoption papers, and it had also been Sanji that left the kitten alone in the car with the Marimo when they stopped to get supplies for the little boy. Then Sanji wondered if maybe the kitten just felt closer to Zoro because they were both missing their left eye. Now Sanji wasn't too sure what it was that had the kitten loving all over Zoro, but he realized that he was jealous of it. Sanji wasn't too sure if he was jealous of Zoro getting the kittens attention, or of Nhil getting the Marimo's attention. It was something Sanji had to look into.

One Tuesday, however, was the day Sanji finally snapped. Both him and Zoro had the day off from work and had decided they would spend it in the apartment together watching movies and commenting on how unrealistic the fight scenes were.

Everything had been going well, but when Zoro got up from the couch to go to the bathroom a little after lunch, he put Nhil in Sanji's lap, not thinking much of it at the time. As soon as Zoro put him down he jumped off Sanji and stood at Zoro's feet staring up at him, waiting for the moss head's next move. There was a brief staring contest between the man and his kitten before Zoro sighed in defeat and preceded to the bathroom with Nhil at his heels.

Sanji lost it. He bit through the filter on his cigarette, sucking not just smoke, but the dried tobacco inside his mouth. He choked slightly on the cigarette remains, which only fueled his anger. Removing the ruined cigarette from his mouth he smashed it into the ashtray. Taking a deep breath he pulled out a new one from the pack on the coffee table and lit it, hoping that the nicotine might calm his rage before Zoro and Nhil got back.

It wasn't any use. As Zoro stepped back into the living room from the hall, leading to the bed and bath rooms, the hairs on his arms prickled from the waves of anger he felt rolling off Sanji. "What's got you pissed Cook?"

"Nothing," Sanji bit out as he took a large drag of his smoke, refusing to look at the Marimo.

Not believing him, Zoro decided he should at least move cautiously. Sitting back on the couch, he chose a spot a little further away from the blond than the seat he had occupied earlier.

After Zoro sat down, Nhil jumped immediately into his lap, purring and circling to get comfortable. Zoro felt the blond's wrath rise when the kitten finally laid down. Sanji violently smashed the play button on the remote before stabbing out his cigarette and reaching for another.

_No way_, Zoro thought, _he's jealous of Nhil._ This surprised Zoro. The only one he had ever seen affect the blond like this was himself, and even then Zoro made sure to not go too far. He had to find a way out of this before Sanji exploded at him with a flurry of kicks rather than glares.

Zoro carefully picked up the ball of fur and placed him on the floor while Sanji watched out of the corner of his eye. "What're you doing, Marimo?" Sanji's anger disappeared in an instant, making way for confusion as he watched Zoro reach out toward him. Zoro wrapped his arms around the Cook's chest and quickly pulled him into his lap.

"What the hell, shitty moss-for-brains!" Sanji struggled in Zoro's hold but couldn't get away with him having such power in his upper body.

Zoro chuckled as he nuzzled his nose into Sanji's hair. "You're jealous of the kitten." It was a statement. Sanji heard the smug tone embedded in the moss head's words, causing him to turn red at the truth of it.

"He doesn't cuddle me," Sanji murmured giving up his struggling. He placed his smoke in the ashtray sitting on the coffee table before he turned to face his lover behind him. "He only ever snuggles with you."

Zoro's eyebrows rose and fell as he realized Sanji was right. "Fine." Zoro made sure not to laugh as he said, "You'll take Nhil's place tonight and he will take yours. Hopefully that will teach him a lesson."

Sanji stared at the man he was sitting on like he was an idiot, because, well, he _was_ an idiot. "Uh-huh. And will Nhil understand this?" Sanji was skeptical. Cats are very difficult animals to teach things to. Usually it requires a lot of time, patience, and plenty of snacks to reward them with.

"He already gets it, Cook."

"Huh?" Sanji looked down to where Zoro had placed the kitten on the floor at the foot of the couch earlier, but it was empty. He turned to look at where he was sitting previously. The little fur ball was sitting in Sanji's seat, watching the television as if he were Sanji himself. All he was missing was the smoke. "That's… odd."

"Well then," Zoro turned back to face the TV, a smirk crossing his face as he began to stroke Sanji's hair, "you're the kitten for tonight." And Sanji was as he felt Zoro scratch behind his ears, making the blond lean into the feeling. If Sanji could purr he would have been as loud as a motor boat.

"Tell no one about this, Marimo." Sanji whispered as he curled himself up onto Zoro's lap. "You do that and you're dead."

The swordsman chuckled as he moved his hand to scratch the underside of Sanji's chin, where his goatee ended meeting at his neck. "Whatever you say, Curly Neko."

Sanji hummed in contentment for his reply, hoping Zoro would move his hand back to behind his ears. He shifted his head sideways and leaned back into Zoro's chest trying to get the Marimo to move his hand to a different part of his head. Zoro noticed this, but acted as if he didn't. He wanted Sanji to ask him out right.

Before Zoro could get what he wanted though an idea came to him. Sanji was the kitten for the night, the kitten liked playing with his toy that looks like a mouse on a string, and therefore, since Sanji was the kitten he should like playing with the toy.

Zoro discreetly looked around the living room, trying to find the toy as he moved to scratch Sanji's head as a distraction. He hoped it could keep the blond from realizing what Zoro was up to. _There it is!_ Zoro was in luck. It was sitting on the small table stand beside the couch on Zoro's left. He silently thanked Sanji for delegating the left side of the couch as his. He reached out his left hand to grab it, making sure he didn't stop scratching Sanji's scalp in the process. As soon as the handle touched his palm he removed his right hand from Sanji's head and placed it softly on his waist.

Sanji whined at the loss of the moss heads calloused fingers in his hair, but was immediately placated when Zoro kissed the back of his neck while humming to himself.

"Got something for you, dart brow." Zoro couldn't see Sanji's face at the statement but he could feel the tension and annoyance in his lovers muscles when Zoro held out the cat toy before him.

Expecting Sanji to yell and hit him, Zoro prepared and instinctively flinched, but it never came. Instead Sanji relaxed, placing his head on Zoro's shoulder as he lightly batted at the little mouse hanging before him. "Stupid moss head." Sanji mumbled as he kissed the spot under Zoro's earrings. He then quickly sat up hitting the toy out of his way while he turned in Zoro's lap and lightly smacked the back of the Marimo's head.

Sanji stood up leaving a bewildered man behind as he stretched out his arms and back before making his way towards the hall leading to the other rooms of the apartment.

"Where are you going?" Zoro called to Sanji after recomposing himself.

"Bathroom"

Zoro smirked. Too easy. "The litter box is on the other side of the apartment, shit cook. Even I know that much."

Sanji turned quickly, his face was bright red as he strode over to Zoro, preparing to kick the smug bastard in the face.

The rest of the evening preceded much the same, except when dinner had to be made. However, tonight Nhil ate the food that Sanji put into his bowl, causing a wide grin to break out across Sanji's features.

When the two men climbed into bed, Nhil jumped up and tucked himself beside Sanji.

"Told ya, Sanji." Zoro whispered. "He learned his lesson."

Sanji chuckled as he snuggled a little closer to the kitten, with Zoro following after him. "I think I like being treated like a cat." A glint of mischief crossed Sanji's eyes as he continued. "You should do it more often, Zoro, but maybe next time you can do something a little more _intimate_ than petting."

Zoro grinned at the implication that he knew the Cook was going to make at some point. He chuckled in reply, "Ero Neko."

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><p><strong>Neko: Cat in Japanese<strong>  
><strong>Ero: Pervert in Japanese<strong>

**Hope you guys liked it! THANK YOU FOR READING!**


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